Although many swing training methods and devices are known in the prior art, no known method or device is fully effective in improving athletic performance.
In golf, existing methods often overcomplicate the function as to the swing plane and preferred club positioning, while underestimating the importance of proper setup and how it affects swing mechanics. In fact, many of these existing methods simply reinforce poor mechanics because they fail to properly train all of the parts of the body that are involved in the swing. Trainees who have tried to improve their swings have often given up, commenting that their feel is compromised by the distraction of bearing in mind the many technical points needed to make the adjustments required to correct the faults in their swing.
There have been previous attempts to use external restraints to control movement of the golf swing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,317 issued to Corder, Jr. on Jan. 9, 1990, claims a releasable golf swing training connector that includes a chest strap that encircles a the chest of a golfer and a separate arm strap that encircles an upper arm of the golfer. A separate connector strap connects the chest and arm straps to hold the arm close to the body and properly restrict the arm during the back and forward swings of a golf stroke. The patent teaches against a rigid connection between the chest and arm straps because the patent states that such a rigid connection renders the training of the swing ineffective.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,554 issued to Poscente on Oct. 3, 2000, claims a swing training device which constrains both arms of an individual to follow a predetermined swing path. The device includes a member for securing about the torso of an individual and arm bands for securing about the arms of the individual. The arm bands are mounted on guide rails mounted on the torso member through connectors which permit the arm bands to slide along the length of the rails. The arm rails are formed of a rigid material which is resistant to bending out of position.
Several other patents teach various uses of straps to aid in control of the swing movement. However, none of the known prior art teaches a use of straps which not only contains arm movement but provides adequate elasticity to allow a smooth movement but providing a sufficient tightness to control that movement. Moreover, none of the known prior art teaches a training device which can be worn during regular golf outings outside of training.
Therefore there still exists a need for a training device which is simple, compact and provides a combination of control and elasticity to allow a smooth, controlled golf swing.